WOMADalaide extends stay in Adelaide until 2024, celebrates with white flying angels and desert minstrels

Pictured: Gratte Ciel’s, Place des Anges

The WOMADelaide festival will stay a further five years in Adelaide until 2024 as part of an agreement between the South Australian Government and WOMAD UK.

The festival celebrated the announcement by announcing two new programs for its 2018 event, one a French production with flying angels and the other from India featuring wandering minstrels.

The deal includes extra funding via the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Events South Australia as well as support a major development program for the festival.

SA Premier and Arts Minister Jay Weatherill said the extension cemented SA’s claim to being the arts and festival capital of Australia, and for the festival’s reputation as a tourism drawcard.

“Guaranteeing WOMADelaide’s place in South Australia is not only a boost for the arts sector, but also for tourism and the associated industries, as 45% of the festival’s audience comes from interstate,” the Premier said.

“This unique festival delivers a $15.1 million Economic Impact annually, and with increased capacity from 2018, the value of WOMAD will continue to grow.”

WOMADelaide’s attendance hit a record 95,000 in 2016 but crowds were down by a few thousand due to heavy rain.

WOMAD’s founder, musician Peter Gabriel, said, “Over the past 25 years, WOMADelaide has not only evolved into a great Australian event but also a great WOMAD event.

“WOMAD festivals have always flourished in beautiful surroundings, and the location in Adelaide next to the Botanic Gardens is still one of my favourites.”

Gabriel performed at the Adelaide show in 1993.

WOMADelaide Director, Ian Scobie, confirmed, “The new agreement has enabled us to confirm the presentation of two large-scale, landmark productions to the 2018 festival; the extraordinary French aerial spectacular, Gratte Ciel’s Place des Anges, and the music masterpiece from India, The Manganiyar Seduction.”

Both shows are highly acclaimed for their visual splendour and staged at twilight to spark their magic.

Gratte Ciel’s ‘angels’ will appear high above the treetops in Botanic Park, dance across the sky to music, and then descend into the crowd in a flurry of white feathers.

This will be the first time that Gratte Ciel (skyscraper)’s

Place des Anges (Place of Angels) will be in a park, and the production will use the space and trees to create a unique ambience for Adelaide.

Usually, the aerialists are suspended by wires between city buildings.

The production features a 32-strong French cast and crew working alongside multiple local crew and volunteers, will be presented outside an urban environment.

From the colourful Indian region of Rajasthan comes The Manganiyar Seduction, a stunning visual and musical spectacular composed of 43 musicians performing within a 36-windowed, multi-level, purpose-built ‘jewel box’ stage and the folk orchestra’s music pumped through 33. Illuminated boxes.

The set was inspired by the Hawa Mahal Palace in Jaipur screened through which women looked at the world, and Amsterdam’s red light district, according to its creator, theatre director Roysten Abel.

The 60-minute performance from the Thar Desert, created in 2006 by Abel, was given a preview of sorts when Abel staged the more intimate work the Manganiyar Classroom at WOMADelaide this year.

The journey to the desert continues with the upcoming musical Manganiyar Express.

WOMADelaide 2018 is held March 9—12 in Botanic Park, with acts already confirmed including Adrian Sherwood, Anoushka Shankar, Dan Sultan, The Avalanches, Kamasi Washington, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Thievery Corporation and Havana Meets Kingston.

Program details and ticket info at http://womadelaide.com.au.